Published 30 June 2017
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ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2018 should be no more than 115 335 tonnes.
The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has increased significantly since 2006 and is well above historical estimates. Fishing mortality (F) has decreased significantly after 2005, and has been below FMSY since 2012. The recruitment (R) estimate for 2016 is above average
Figure 1 . Summary of the stock assessment of hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock.Recruitment, F, and SSB plots show 95% confidence intervals (shaded area). Assumed recruitment values are unshaded.
| Year | recruitment | high_recruitment | low_recruitment | low_SSB | SSB | high_SSB | catches | landings | discards | low_F | F | high_F | StockPublishNote | Purpose | Fage | fishstock | recruitment_age | AssessmentYear | units | stockSizeDescription | stockSizeUnits | fishingPressureDescription | fishingPressureUnits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 304112 | 362711 | 254980 | 63811 | 76696 | 89581 | 50551 | 50551 | 0 | 0.475 | 0.52 | 0.565 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1979 | 283534 | 342511 | 234714 | 87349 | 97911 | 108473 | 51096 | 51096 | 0 | 0.499 | 0.55 | 0.601 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1980 | 316489 | 376737 | 265874 | 90440 | 100483 | 110526 | 57265 | 57265 | 0 | 0.587 | 0.65 | 0.713 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1981 | 599540 | 680311 | 528359 | 77086 | 86475 | 95863 | 53918 | 53918 | 0 | 0.588 | 0.67 | 0.752 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1982 | 418396 | 487682 | 358954 | 61574 | 70398 | 79222 | 54994 | 54994 | 0 | 0.631 | 0.69 | 0.749 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1983 | 152160 | 191109 | 121149 | 61116 | 69158 | 77200 | 57507 | 57507 | 0 | 0.589 | 0.63 | 0.671 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1984 | 295900 | 343830 | 254653 | 76028 | 83620 | 91213 | 63286 | 63286 | 0 | 0.614 | 0.67 | 0.726 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1985 | 686703 | 766526 | 615192 | 73628 | 80312 | 86995 | 56099 | 56099 | 0 | 0.696 | 0.80 | 0.904 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1986 | 412289 | 462981 | 367147 | 54953 | 61012 | 67071 | 57092 | 57092 | 0 | 0.843 | 0.91 | 0.977 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1987 | 487329 | 540858 | 439098 | 42178 | 47228 | 52278 | 63369 | 63369 | 0 | 0.943 | 1.00 | 1.057 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1988 | 530902 | 583411 | 483117 | 45273 | 49688 | 54103 | 64823 | 64823 | 0 | 0.953 | 1.02 | 1.087 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1989 | 506464 | 552550 | 464222 | 43936 | 47762 | 51587 | 66473 | 66473 | 0 | 1.022 | 1.09 | 1.158 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1990 | 538463 | 585622 | 495101 | 41185 | 44295 | 47404 | 59954 | 59954 | 0 | 0.920 | 1.00 | 1.080 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1991 | 317821 | 349116 | 289331 | 41551 | 44539 | 47527 | 58129 | 58129 | 0 | 0.891 | 0.94 | 0.989 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1992 | 330559 | 361573 | 302205 | 42211 | 45268 | 48325 | 56617 | 56617 | 0 | 0.956 | 1.01 | 1.064 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1993 | 602754 | 640500 | 567230 | 40525 | 43205 | 45886 | 52144 | 52144 | 0 | 1.009 | 1.08 | 1.151 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1994 | 329784 | 354433 | 306851 | 31109 | 33366 | 35622 | 51259 | 51259 | 0 | 1.054 | 1.10 | 1.146 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1995 | 165603 | 180611 | 151842 | 30106 | 32134 | 34162 | 57621 | 57621 | 0 | 1.086 | 1.13 | 1.174 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1996 | 401880 | 427143 | 378109 | 35229 | 37306 | 39383 | 47210 | 47210 | 0 | 0.957 | 1.01 | 1.063 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1997 | 275848 | 299072 | 254427 | 29729 | 31651 | 33574 | 42465 | 42465 | 0 | 1.017 | 1.07 | 1.123 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1998 | 452656 | 483675 | 423626 | 24381 | 25997 | 27613 | 35060 | 35060 | 0 | 0.945 | 1.01 | 1.075 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 1999 | 223378 | 242690 | 205605 | 27404 | 29147 | 30891 | 39814 | 39814 | 0 | 0.943 | 0.99 | 1.037 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2000 | 199135 | 214799 | 184613 | 30098 | 31971 | 33845 | 42026 | 42026 | 0 | 0.876 | 0.92 | 0.964 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2001 | 341926 | 364027 | 321169 | 35428 | 37514 | 39600 | 36675 | 36675 | 0 | 0.730 | 0.78 | 0.830 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2002 | 265328 | 283455 | 248360 | 35477 | 37769 | 40061 | 40105 | 40105 | 0 | 0.786 | 0.83 | 0.874 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2003 | 157143 | 169378 | 145792 | 35162 | 37543 | 39925 | 44555 | 43162 | 1393 | 0.782 | 0.82 | 0.858 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2004 | 329055 | 348489 | 310705 | 39631 | 42139 | 44647 | 49029 | 46416 | 2614 | 0.779 | 0.83 | 0.881 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2005 | 217285 | 232589 | 202988 | 37587 | 40113 | 42638 | 51133 | 46550 | 4583 | 0.923 | 0.97 | 1.017 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2006 | 292674 | 309904 | 276403 | 30176 | 32475 | 34774 | 42691 | 41469 | 1222 | 0.823 | 0.87 | 0.917 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2007 | 452723 | 479690 | 427272 | 35583 | 38281 | 40979 | 47258 | 45093 | 2165 | 0.712 | 0.76 | 0.808 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2008 | 734328 | 774005 | 696685 | 41253 | 44733 | 48212 | 51190 | 47822 | 3368 | 0.584 | 0.63 | 0.676 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2009 | 247176 | 269542 | 226664 | 61685 | 67034 | 72383 | 69814 | 58781 | 11033 | 0.475 | 0.51 | 0.545 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2010 | 257528 | 279068 | 237649 | 113783 | 123089 | 132395 | 84878 | 72760 | 12118 | 0.365 | 0.39 | 0.415 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2011 | 265486 | 290682 | 242474 | 185528 | 201049 | 216570 | 101403 | 87500 | 13903 | 0.288 | 0.31 | 0.332 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2012 | 487330 | 535317 | 443645 | 206375 | 227026 | 247677 | 100470 | 85600 | 14870 | 0.238 | 0.26 | 0.282 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2013 | 318837 | 360376 | 282088 | 203272 | 228246 | 253220 | 93108 | 77708 | 15400 | 0.233 | 0.26 | 0.287 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2014 | 217489 | 251947 | 187744 | 210157 | 241117 | 272077 | 99700 | 89900 | 9800 | 0.228 | 0.26 | 0.292 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2015 | 309968 | 368540 | 260703 | 230885 | 272795 | 314705 | 105900 | 95000 | 10900 | 0.212 | 0.25 | 0.288 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2016 | 529458 | 669948 | 418429 | 234898 | 290234 | 345570 | 118634 | 107534 | 11100 | 0.216 | 0.27 | 0.324 | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
| 2017 | 335071 | 370115 | 303346 | 197000 | 265666 | 334331 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | Stock published | Advice | NA | hke.27.3a46-8abd | 0 | 2017 | tonnes | SSB | tonnes | F | per year |
State of the stock and fishery relative to reference points
| Variable | Value | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| F (2017) | 0.26 | ICES (2017a) | Mean F(2014–2016). |
| SSB (2018) | 267673.00 | ICES (2017a) | |
| R (2017/2018) | 335071.00 | ICES (2017a) | GM (1978–2014); in thousands. |
| Total catch (2017) | 105223.00 | ICES (2017a) | Forecasted catch from the assessment model (based on F(2017) = Mean F(2014–2016) plus additional discards. |
| Wanted catch (2017) | 93588.00 | ICES (2017a) | Based on average discard rates observed during 2014–2016. |
| Unwanted catch (2017) | 11635.00 | ICES (2017a) | Based on average discard rates observed during 2014–2016. |
Table 3 Annual catch scenarios for hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock. All weights are in tonnes.
| Basis | F | Catch 2018 | SSB2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSY approach: FMSY | 0.280 | 115335 | 295193 |
| F = 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 401929 |
| Fpa | 0.620 | 211827 | 206120 |
| Flim | 0.870 | 261716 | 160047 |
| SSB (2019) = Blim | 2.293 | 383469 | 44975 |
| SSB (2019) = Bpa | 2.731 | 395825 | 32001 |
| SSB (2019) = MSY Btrigger | 2.731 | 395825 | 32001 |
| F = F2017 | 0.259 | 108119 | 301860 |
| EU Recovery Plan^^ | 0.250 | 104736 | 304987 |
| Advice basis | MSY approach. |
| Management plan | The current recovery plan (EU, 2004) is based on precautionary reference points that are no longer appropriate. ICES has not evaluated this plan. |
The uncertainty in the assessment is relatively high, with large changes in biomass estimates in consecutive years. The model confidence intervals are an underestimate of uncertainty because they are narrower than interannual changes in estimates in consecutive years. There is a lack of tuning data for the earlier years of the assessment, for some areas outside of subareas 7 and 8, and for the larger individuals in the population. Given the expansion of the stock into northern areas (ICES, 2017b), there is a potential that not all catches are reported for this stock. Biological sampling from these areas is also limited. The data compilation of this stock is very complicated because it is exploited by several countries and the assessment model configuration is complex. In turn, the assessment model is very sensitive to the data and the settings used. Hence, it is extremely important for the quality of the assessment to have the complete data for all the countries on time and in the right format.
Figure 2 Historical assessment results for hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock.
Discarding of juvenile hake can be substantial in some areas and fleets. Discarding of large individuals has increased in recent years because of quota restrictions in certain fleets.
Some fleets fishing this stock have been under the EU landing obligation since 2016.
| Framework | Reference.point | Value | Technical.basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSY approach | MSY Btrigger | 45000 | Bpa | ICES (2016a) |
| FMSY | 0.28 | Stochastic simulations on a segmented regression stock–recruitment relationship. | ICES (2016a) | |
| Precautionary approach | Blim | 32000 | A low biomass which was followed by a quick recovery. | ICES (2016b) |
| Bpa | 45000 | 1.4 × Blim | ICES (2016b) | |
| Flim | 0.87 | Fishing mortality resulting in a 5% probability of SSB falling below Blim. | ICES(2016b) | |
| Fpa | 0.62 | Flim/1.4 | ICES(2016b) | |
| Management plan | SSBMGT | No defined |
| ICES stock data category | 1 (ICES, 2016c). |
| Assessment type | Length-based model (SS3; ICES, 2017a) that uses landings and some discards in the model. Additional discards are then included to calculate a catch forecast. |
| Input data | Commercial landings; four survey indices (EVHOE-WIBTS-Q4, SpPGFS-WIBTS-Q3, IGFS-WIBTS-Q4, and RESSGASC); maturity data: constant maturity (Martin, 1991); natural mortality: constant value (0.4). |
| Discards and bycatch | Data series from most fleets are available; 75% of the observed discards are included in the assessment (ICES, 2017a). The discards not used in the assessment are used to top-up the catch advice. |
| Indicators | None. |
| Other information | Last benchmarked in 2014 WKSOUTH (ICES, 2014). |
| Working group | Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Waters Ecoregion (WGBIE) |
There is no information available
Table 7 ICES advice and catch of hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock. All weights are in tonnes
** This table should be hidden**
| Year | ICES advice | Pred. Catch | Pred. landings | TAC | ICES landings | Discards | ICES catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Precautionary TAC; juvenile protection | 63500 | 63369 | NA | |||
| 1988 | Precautionary TAC; juvenile protection | 54000 | 66200 | 64823 | ** | NA | |
| 1989 | Precautionary TAC; juvenile protection | 54000 | 59700 | 66473 | ** | NA | |
| 1990 | Precautionary TAC; juvenile protection | 59000 | 65100 | 59954 | NA | ||
| 1991 | Precautionary TAC; juvenile protection | 59000 | 67000 | 58129 | NA | ||
| 1992 | If required, precautionary TAC | 61500 | 69000 | 56617 | NA | ||
| 1993 | Enforce juvenile protection legislation |
|
71500 | 52144 | NA | ||
| 1994 | F significantly reduced |
|
60000 | 51259 | ** | NA | |
| 1995 | 30% reduction in F | 31000 | 55100 | 57621 | NA | ||
| 1996 | 30% reduction in F | 39000 | 51100 | 47210 | NA | ||
| 1997 | 20% reduction in F | 54000 | 60100 | 42465 | NA | ||
| 1998 | 20% reduction in F | 45000 | 59100 | 35060 | NA | ||
| 1999 | Reduce F below Fpa |
|
55100 | 39814 | ** | NA | |
| 2000 | 50% reduction in F |
|
42100 | 42026 | ** | NA | |
| 2001 | Lowest possible catch, recovery plan |
|
22600 | 36675 | NA | ||
| 2002 | Lowest possible catch / recovery plan |
|
27000 | 40105 | NA | ||
| 2003 | Lowest possible catch / recovery plan |
|
30000 | 43162 | 1393 | 44555 | |
| 2004 | 70% reduction in F or recovery plan |
|
39100 | 46416 | 2614 | 49029 | |
| 2005 | F = 0.19 | 33000 | 42600 | 46550 | 4583 | 51133 | |
| 2006 | F = 0.25 | 44000 | 43900 | 41469 | 1222 | 42691 | |
| 2007 | Recovery plan limits | 50500 | 52700 | 45093 | 2165 | 47258 | |
| 2008 | Recovery plan limits | 54000 | 54000 | 47822 | 3368 | 51190 | |
| 2009 | F = 0.25 = Fpa | 51500 | 51500 | 58781 | 11033 | 69814 | |
| 2010 | F = 0.25 = Fpa | 55200 | 55105 | 72760 | 12118 | 84878 | |
| 2011 | See scenarios | 50600 | 55105 | 87540 | 13903 | 101443 | |
| 2012 | MSY transition | 51900 | 55105 | 85677 | 14870 | 100547 | |
| 2013 | MSY transition | 45400 | 69440 | 77708 | 15400 | 93108 | |
| 2014 | MSY approach | 81846 | 81846 | 89928 | 9800 | 99728 | |
| 2015 | MSY approach | 78457 | 90849 | 95023 | 10900 | 105923 | |
| 2016 | MSY approach | ? 109592 | ? 96651 | 108764 | 107530 | 11114 | 118644 |
| 2017 | MSY approach | ? 123777 | 119765 | NA | NA | ||
| 2018 | MSY approach | ? 115335 | NA | NA | NA |
Gapminder is a data visualization tool developed by Hans Rosling that allows one to view 5 dimensional data (see Rosling’s TED talk for details). It has proved to be an ideal tool for viewing the biological status of the resource, and we provide this tool for each region. (This description will improve)
Table 8 Catch distribution by fleet in 2016 as estimated by ICES for hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock.
** Missing small table**
Table 9 History of commercial catch and landings of hake in subareas 4, 6, and 7, and in divisions 3.a, 8.a–b, and 8.d, Northern stock. Both the official and ICES estimated values are presented by area for each country participating in the fishery. All weights are in tonnes.
Missing big table
EU. 2004. COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No. 811/2004 of 21.4.2004 establishing measures for the recovery of the Northern hake stock. Official Journal of the European Union, L 150/1. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:150:0001:0011:EN:PDF.
ICES. 2014. Report of the Benchmark Workshop on Southern Megrim and Hake (WKSOUTH), 3–7 February 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2014/ACOM:40. 236 pp.
ICES. 2016a. EU request to ICES to provide FMSY ranges for selected stocks in ICES subareas 5 to 10. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2016. ICES Advice 2016, Book 5, Section 5.4.1.
ICES. 2016b. Report of the Workshop to consider FMSY ranges for stocks in ICES categories 1 and 2 in Western Waters (WKMSYREF4), 13–16 October 2015, Brest, France. ICES CM 2015/ACOM:58. 183 pp.
ICES. 2016c. Advice basis. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2016. ICES Advice 2016, Book 1, Section 1.2.
ICES. 2017a. Report of the Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian waters Ecoregion (WGBIE), 4–9 May 2017, Cadiz, Spain. ICES CM 2017/ACOM:12. In preparation.
ICES. 2017b. Report of the Working Group on Mixed-Fisheries Advice (WGMIXFISH-ADVICE), 22–26 May 2017, ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen, Denmark.ICES CM 2017/ACOM:18. In preparation.
Martin, I. 1991. A preliminary analysis of some biological aspects of hake (Merluccius merluccius L. 1758) in the Bay of Biscay. ICES CM 1991/G:54. 31 pp.